The Homeland
by empresspip
Summary: Settling the Homeland is proving a little harder than originally thought. Politics and men have overrun it, and now its up to Frodo and the elves to get it back. 6th chappie up!
1. Secrets

After reading my other story, I quickly realised how horribly _euch_ it was and didn't want to continue it. Here is a rewrite of the same idea that I had earlier, but hopefully it's a little easier to read without shuddering…. Oh and I have finally realised I need a disclaimer!

Disclaimer: No, I am not JRR Tolkien reincarnated. I'm just his grand daughter…. No really, I'm just a fan.

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Frodo was quiet. Unlike most hobbits, the motion of the boat did not bother him. In fact he had grown to quite like it over the past eight days. It was a constant reminder of the new life he was now leading, one that involved only good friends; no rings, battles or hard travelling! He smiled as he surveyed the elves chatting and singing merrily, joyous to be on their way, at last, to the home they had left so long ago. They were truly the fairest of creatures. Gandalf, however, was silent. Frodo decided not to bother him, and stood up to go and sit on the very prow of the ship, to enjoy the waves and the sea.

"Frodo," said Gandalf hesitantly, "how are you feeling?"

"Great!" was the smiling reply, "Why? Um… How are you?" Frodo was mildly concerned at this wandering conversation. He had never seen Gandalf talk aimlessly, there must have been a reason behind his question, but Frodo was too fed up of mystery to think on it more.

"Oh, I'm quite alright," said Gandalf, "I was just hoping the ship's motion wasn't bothering you."

"Surprising, isn't it? I actually quite like it." shrugged Frodo.

"Alright then." chuckled Gandalf.

Frodo smiled to himself as he made his way up to the prow, it was good to have friends who looked out for you. He didn't notice the concerned glance Gandalf made to Elrond.

**

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**"LAND!" 

Frodo awoke with a jerk; he had fallen asleep and it was now nearing sunset. Why did the elves have to shout so loud, or be so enthusiastic.

Hang on a sec, didn't they just say…

"LAND AHOY!"

"YES!" shouted Frodo! Paradise was within reach at last. He would be home!

Home? Now that was curious, the Shire had always been his home. Frodo dismissed the thought, and joined in with the elves dancing and singing. It was one of the happiest moments of his life, and he didn't regret it one bit.

It was a general consensus that the Homeland, now clearly within sight, would not be approached until the morrow. In the warmth of the night, Frodo settled down to return to sleep on deck so that he would be able to join the party leaving the next morning, or at least see them go.

He was so excited and restless, the next morning he was surprised he got any sleep at all.

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**Frodo woke up and wondered what time it was. To his surprise, the sun was high in the sky, and the jollyboat was still onboard. As he looked around groggily, there wasn't a single elf to be seen and Gandalf, also, had disappeared. Becoming increasingly worried, Frodo stood up and began to explore the ship, looking for signs of life. 

"GANDALF!" he called "ELROND! GALADRIEL!"

He searched for an hour but didn't find anyone. It looked like that everyone had left in a hurry, the cabin beds were unmade and Frodo even found the kitchen stove still alight and breakfast half prepared.

After calming himself down, he began to think things through. The logical conclusion was that everyone had been forced to leave in a hurry, and had either swum or been magically transported as the jollyboat hadn't been touched.

Suddenly Frodo had an idea, what about a message? Maybe he had been left behind on purpose, unnoticed by the enemy? Frodo entered Gandalf's cabin again and found a hastily scrawled message on the bed:

"Frodo, not much time. Look in research files: hobbit origin.

We'll be waiting for you"

Frodo, puzzled, did as the note suggested and carefully made his way to the cargo hold, where the elves had stored copies of their entire writings. He carefully lit a candle in the eerie emptiness, and searched for the file called "Hobbit Origin". He had known for a long time, through his studies with Bilbo, that hobbits were originally from the forest of Greenwood the Great. He also knew that when darkness overthrew the wood, the hobbits had gradually migrated to the Shire. Today the forest was known as Mirkwood.

As he came across the papers, he carefully slid them out of its pile. There was an envelope labelled "DANGER, Please ask the librarian before consulting these papers" and a very old tattered book labelled "Greenwood the Great, and Its fall into Evil". Frodo returned on deck to read the documents in daylight. As he leant forward to blow out the candle, a gust of wind put it out for him. He shrugged at this and climbed the stairs.

**

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**Frodo looked up and stretched his neck, it was nearing sunset. A cool breeze passed his face, and caused shivers down his spine. Perhaps the wind wasn't the only thing making him shiver. 

In the last few hours, Frodo had discovered more about himself than he had ever thought possible. Even after his amazing feat with the Ring, he'd never realised his full potential. These mysterious documents had explained much; why hobbits were strangely resilient, why the boat hadn't bothered him, and why Gandalf and the others had left him on board.

After such a tiring day, Frodo curled up to sleep. Whoever had captured the elves did not want them because of their power, but as bargaining power with Frodo.

The hobbit had deducted that the Homelander/kidnaper had known a great force was coming from the land of the elves, but hadn't spotted it in the little creature curled up inside a ring of excess sheet. They would be in for a big surprise…

in a day or two.

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PLEASE REVIEW! I hope u liked this better than the original. (Otherwise, my writing career is lost…)

P.S. "sheet" is the nautical term for "rope".


	2. Training

**Training**

Frodo sat up and opened his eyes. As he began to remember everything that he had learnt the previous day, he groaned at how much work he had to do. It was time for his training.

Sitting down, he placed three candles in front of him. The papers said that this was the way hobbits used to train their young when they lived in the Homeland. Hobbits were very powerful, and if they weren't properly trainedthere could be catastrophic results. Fires, cyclones, monsoons, avalanches, snow blizzards and even huge numbers of mentally impaired people could result from the misuse of hobbits' powers.

You see, hobbits were not always the short, stocky, and ignorant people they chose to be for hundreds of years; no, they had a deep dark secret that had been lost from generation to generation. Modern day hobbits had no idea what they were made of.

Extract from the file "Hobbits Origins". Page 4.

_To show my meaning let my example be dwarves; dwarves built themselves from the earth. All species originated from the Homeland and that is where most of their magic lies, but every kind of people had their own special "building block" for their creation. They all have one thing which they, solely, have mastery over. Other kinds can try and copy the original species, but it will never be of the same quality. To continue with the example of dwarves; these people have an affiliation with the earth as no other creature, except maybe the hobbit. They enjoy tunneling, mining, and only a dwarf can fully appreciate the wonder of a limestone cave. Their height alone tells you that they are built for tunneling and staying close to the earth they love so much._

_Other examples are the elves, who are woodland people associating themselves with trees and forests; and wizards who are associates of the winds. These include the winds of divination and magic. They also are very good prying into places only the wind is supposed to be able to go. They piece together facts by looking at the big picture, as the mightiest wind can carry all sorts of things from all sorts of places together at the same time._

_There are two exceptions to this: men are imitators, and hobbits are the associates of all things. _

_With the world of men, each man has his associate thing, and copies the act of associating with that thing from other species. If man does not know the other species in order to copy, they make up their own way of doing it. For example, those who are affiliated with the sea become sailors. If they could see the mer-people, then they would probably try living in water. This would result in the mass drowning of hundreds of people. The problem with man is that man's body fails to let most people follow their affiliate and copy the other species. Their habit of imitatingalso means, however, that man can adapt quickly to new situations and survive better._

_Hobbits, on the other hand, are affiliates of all things. They are close to the earth, traditionally living in hobbit holes in the ground; and are also close to the trees, having inhabited Greenwood the Greatas their first home after leaving the Homeland. They are friends with the winds (has a hobbit ever missed his mark in archery or slinging?) and their affiliations with the lowlands involves a knowledge and use of herb lore that is unrivalled except by the elves, the tree folk. After all, they were the first to smoke the nicotiana plant, a feat no other species can claim!_

_Sadly, the secrets of hobbit origins were lost. This meant that hobbits' original desire for adventure to test their skills in all areas was replaced by the desire to live peacefully. The love of sailing, and indeed living in the sea with the mer-people, slowly faded away. Instead hobbits are too scared to even get in a boat! _

_After arriving in Middle Earth men began to settle quickly..._

The rest of the papers were conserned with the settling of men and elves, but Frodo had read enough.He still, however, had questions, many questions. Why did all these people leave Middle Earth in the first place? Why was the Homeland the only place magic really worked? Why did Greenwood the Great turn foul in the first place? Frodo was determined to find answers, but that was for later.

Focusing on one of the candles in front of him, Frodo conjured the simple thought of wishing he had matches with which to light the candle (step one). He then carefully thought about how good it would be if it just burst into flame with no matches (step two). He then thought about how happy he would be if it _did _happen (step three). The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemedthat this candle _would_ suddenly burst into flame (step four). Before Frodo had reached step number five (out of fifteen), the candle in front of him suddenly flared up. And before Frodo could ponder the matter further, there was a small flame merrily dancing its way on top of his first candle.

This was unusual, very unusual. The papers said that even the most powerful of hobbits didn't make their first candle light properly until the tenth step. Most hobbits, even at the fifteenth step, only made the candle flicker slightly before dying out.

Frodo, however, disregarded this because most hobbits started their training until they were ten; and we all know how well ten year olds concentrate.

As he lit the second and third candles, and blew them out again in turn with wind and water, little did he know how powerful he was. After working all day and only a few hours after sunset, Frodo had mastered a month long course.

He was ready to free the elves.

**_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_**

I know everyone asks this but PLEASE REVIEW! is it too complicated? does it sound stupid? constructive critisism _loved _(not sarcastic).


	3. Being King

I know I am evil; I don't update for ages, and when I do, you don't even know what happens to Frodo! Oh well, I will lead you into the politics of a certain land...

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

**I Don't Want To Be King, But If You Insist...**

Croesus leant heavily on one palm as the advisor in front of him droned on about the state of the treasury's finances. What had started off as a number gabbling competition between Advisor Pericles and Advisor Orestes had now turned into a debate over the ethical problems behind charging people to use the public wells. The young Croesus had inherited the throne of Iphigenia at only the age of seventeen. Now twenty one, the gold throne had only become more uncomfortable and the jewel studded crown had only become heavier. This had to be the most boring job ever invented. The puffed up advisors didn't help either.

He looked out the window and saw that the sun had almost reached its zenith, the advisors had been at it all morning. Taking a deep breath Croesus sat up, hoping he would have to shout to control the advisors; he really wasn't in the mood for this.

"Enough! I will commission Advisor Roanus to organise the treasury since you bumbling fools clearly are not making any progress at all." Croesus stated. Unfortunately neither advisor heard. Croesus sighed and took another even deeper breath,

"ENOUGH! YOU ARE _BOTH_ DISMISSED! Advisor Roanus will be taking your place as Treasurers."

Croesus snapped his fingers and two guards immediately sprung from their posts and detained the shocked men.

"Take them away, strip them of their rank, and banish them from the city. They have two days to get out of Cilicia."

Croesus chuckled. He loved any excuse to punish someone; it made life a little more interesting. As the guards led the men through the Hall of the Jade Phoenix and the Bronze Dragon, Orestes (no longer advisor) yelled something about his ancestry while Pericles shouted threats involving a large army. As if the fools would manage to overthrow King Croesus; Ruler of Iphigenia, Master of the Nine Bridges, Guardian of the Everlasting Peach Blossom, and Emperor of the Homeland.

**oooooooooooooooooooooo**

Advisor Roanus smiled beneath his stealth guard as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Croesus had just named him Treasurer.

Treasurer Roanus had him right where he wanted.

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

I know that was super short, but the next chappie is almost finished! I will update not this weekend, but the weekend after. Too many Spring Concert rehearsals!


	4. Flying

**Flying**

Frodo stepped out onto the water. As he placed one foot down and picked up the other, the waves hardened beneath him like concrete; it was one of the strangest feelings he had ever come across.

It was effortless.

Frodo decided to pick up the pace and broke into a jog as he still had a kilometre or so of sea yet to cross. All he had to do now was be patient and let his legs do the work. The sun rose in the sky as he walked, shedding light on the Homeland. It was a very beautiful place; there were lush rainforests to the north and deserts to the south. Between them was a vast savannah-like land with tall grass and scatterings of waterholes. The horizon stretched far; beyond the savannahs were low hills, beyond that, on the plateaus, there were the glittering smudges of cities, and beyond that were high snow-capped mountains.

Frodo reflected what he would do once he had passed the ancient barriers on the beaches.

He started in surprise, how did he know there were ancient barriers on the beaches? Ah, the winds had carried the scent of strong fire-magic. There was a fire ward lying on the dunes, ready to consume all who dared cross it. _That was why such a beautiful beach was deserted!_ mused Frodo. Personally, he would have loved such a white sandy beach! It was far nicer than the sharp pebble beaches of Middle Earth, and it wasn't as cold. Fancy a hobbit planning to spend time paddling in the sea! Frodo had certainly changed.

The shore was fast approaching, and with a sigh Frodo created a water bubble around himself. He was enjoying his morning jog, and felt a little put off that work was inevitable. As he stepped onto the beach, he could feel the sand going soggy between his feet. In a couple of seconds Frodo had made most of his water bubble ice, and now felt confident enough to walk through the fire ward.

It was actually a pleasant feeling. Frodo almost laughed as he realised that the ice was by no means necessary. It seemed to him that the "strong" fire was put out with a mild gust of wind. He didn't even need the water! Chuckling, Frodo continued his way through the scrub feeling invincible. What else could he accomplish with his new-found power?

He started thinking over all the other things he could do with wind; uproot trees, gather information, change the weather. Thousands of thoughts came flooding in. At last Frodo came across one that was truly unique; why not fly?

Frowning, he concentrated on which winds he would require to travel the appropriate direction, and began to call them in. With a sudden WHOOSH, Frodo was flung extremely high in the air, and he almost fell back down again to a sudden death. He caught himself in time, just, and began to methodically pull the wind; much like one pulls a rope. When he had gained enough wind for his journey, he let it loose like a coiled spring and soared towards the largest city on the plateaus. It was fantastic! Yet, ridiculous. It was the most ungraceful method of travel one could think up, including crawling on one's knees. None of the papers had mentioned flying as a skill, and Frodo supposed that they didn't recommend it because it was hard to control for weaker hobbits, and they didn't want people killing themselves by falling from a great height, or causing cyclones.

This was a wrong assumption. The reason the papers hadn't mentioned flying was because it was not possible. Well, it _hadn't_ been possible. With Frodo's arrival, the Homeland was in for a big surprise.


	5. Infiltration

**Infiltration**

Frodo looked up at the menacing gates in front of him. They were huge, with massive iron bars and spike tips at the top. The tips were covered in gold leaf, and on the inside of the gates were massive gold letters. They were in the Elvish tongue, the ancient language of the Elves beyond the Sea, and it took a couple of seconds for Frodo to decipher them. The lady Galadriel herself had used this language in her song to farewell the Fellowship as they rowed down the Great River from Lórien. This is what the letters said:

_Rómello vanwa ná Valimar! Nai elyë hiruva._

They were two lines from that very song! They meant:

Lost to those from the East is Valimar! Maybe even thou shalt find it.

Frodo contemplated these words from the safety of a clump of bushes where no one might see him, or be shocked by his shortness. "Those from the East" could mean all those who originated from the Homeland. But that just meant about everybody! Unless it meant even further east than Middle Earth or the Homeland. What was beyond that? Frodo didn't have a clue. And what was "Valimar" anyway? It sounded like the words _valieren_ (which means "truth") and _maroch_ (which means "ruler") put together. Perhaps this was a prophetic statement from long ago forseeing the loss of the real monarch of the Homeland. _Maybe even thou shalt find it_. What did that mean? Is it a hopeful thing to say, or an accusing thing? Perhaps the one who put it there thought it might make people guilty enough to put the real ruler back on the throne. This was all speculation, and Frodo wanted some facts, because so far he knew nothing about this place.

He needed a hearing device, that would allow him to listen to other conversations to find out what he needed. He found a rock and placed it on the ground, making sure it wasn't touching anything. Gently he started to magnify all the vibrations the rock was feeling through the ground. Sounds began to emerge rather similar to words being conveyed through the shaking rock. However, everything was jumbled, and Frodo could decipher any particular conversation. Nor could he see how he could eliminate the other conversations to make one clearer. Then he had an idea.

What if he put a circle around the rock, above ground of thickened air, and below it of thickened earth? He fashioned the sphere until it was so steady, only minimal vibration could escape through it. He then made a small hole in the sphere, letting vibrations only from a small area into the area to shake the rock. He then made another hole directly above the rock so he could hear what the rock was saying. He tested his device by placing a hole roughly in line with some guards who were chatting by the gate, supposed to be keeping vigilant watch. He magnified the vibrations until all the sounds came into focus.

"… bet 1000 lantars on the skimpy one."

"I couldn't think of a worse way to get poor. Did you see them repossessing his garden? His missus was harassing the coppers."

"Yeah, you could hear her shouting from ten streets up! My sister offered me ear plugs."

"Well that goes to show, always take good advice when betting on races, you never know when…"

Frodo grinned. It worked! It also appeared that human nature hadn't changed. It didn't matter where one went, or what language they spoke, humans always acted with the same desires. Funny lot, humans. Some of the most brave and gentle people he knew were humans, yet some of the most evil and manipulating were human too… Frodo couldn't get his head around them, at least they spoke the same language he supposed. Talking about language, it appeared the locals didn't speak ancient Elvish, but the common tongue of Middle Earth. Perhaps this meant it was "common tongue" to everybody! Frodo briefly wondered if that meant people couldn't decipher the letters on the gates. But of course there would be scholars who could read it; it looked like a well developed city, obviously with a bit of history.

Frodo decided it was now time for infiltration. He daydreamed a bit at what would happened if he decided to fly straight into the main palace's front door to watch the King/Queen gasp in shock promptly followed by a gold statue in his name, but then he reconsidered. Besides, what if the door was closed? What if he missed the door and landed on the thick stone wall? Frodo shuddered at the result; the elves too would be ashamed to think that their secret weapon hobbit was rash and foolhardy enough to smash himself into a solid object. Sighing Frodo studied some peasant men who were entering the city, and guessed he would just have to disguise himself as a human. Euch! This new disguise would take a lot of thinking...

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Hi everyone! I hoped you liked the new chappie! R & R please! I hope the thing with the rock wasn't too confusing... ah well, it had to actually work, didn't it! 

Much love

Empress Pip


	6. Imprisoned

Imprisoned

The elves were silent as the trap door to the oubliette slammed shut on the ceiling above them. They had tried every ancient art they knew of to rid themselves of their shackles and flee the hooded one who controlled them, but all efforts had proved futile. It seemed only a couple of minutes before they had been rising with the dawn, ready to herald their new home when inexplicably, one by one, they had surrendered control of their bodies to the strange figure. Many of them had not even noticed when their hands had stopped stirring breakfast on the stove or when their fingers had forfeited pulling at the various sheets. It seemed so gentle, so quiet, so easy just to let their feet go; just to oblige the pull and glide towards the neighbouring vessel which had silently pulled up next to the elven ship. The only one who had seemed able to resist, even for a few seconds, was Gandalf. Perhaps the hooded one had not realised there would be a wizard on board, and it took him a few minutes to adjust the magic to encompass the struggling man. Gandalf had understood at once that the only one able to survive this attack was Frodo, the resident hobbit. He had hastily scrawled a quick message informing Frodo of the relevant places to be truly enlightened as to the situation. "We will be waiting for you" would also signal that they expecting him to fulfil his abilities. He had hidden the note amongst his sheets and managed to press a quilt between his first and second fingers before succumbing to the walk to the nearby vessel. As he walked on deck, he twitched a smile when he saw Frodo fast asleep, the magic rendered completely harmless. Hobbits really were surprising creatures. As he passed the loops of rope the hobbit was residing, Gandalf surreptitiously released the quilt to cover Frodo. Hopefully, he would not be noticed.

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"My liege, good news of your kingdom" said Treasurer Roanus kneeling before Croesus in the traditional way. 

"What is it, Treasurer," inquired Croesus, bored, "this had better be wonderful, I'm not in the mood for dry words. On second thoughts, if what you have to tell is dry, I can have you executed. That would be fun; a highlight on a dull, dull day."

"Hilarious" agreed the Treasurer cautiously.

"Well, spit it out, I have better things to do today," snapped the king.

"I intercepted a ship coming from the western lands today."

"WHAT?" shouted the king, "WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS?"

"I will expl-" attempted Roanus but Croesus was not in the mood for lengthy explanations (not an unusual mood to be sure).

"HOW IS IT THAT WESTENERS POP UP ON OUR THRESHOLD AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT?" bellowed the king, "I AM _THIS CLOSE_ TO EXECUTING YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW." With the words "this close" Croesus motioned with his fingers.

"All those onboard are currently locked up in the dungeon below this very floor," said the Treasurer half pleadingly, half accusingly, "see for yourself."

With that he heaved up the rug covering the entrance and heaved up the trap door with one of his deathly strong arms. For a moment Croesus did nothing, staring accusingly at the half desperate treasurer to see if there was any foolery in this. Eventually, making up his mind, he clicked his fingers. The guards hidden behind the pillars instantly jumped out of their hiding places and held Roanus fast; Croesus didn't want Roanus to try anything stupid while he was looking into the pit. Standing up regally from his throne, the king approached the open trap door carefully, wary of what might be lurking beneath. Who knows what the Treasurer could have rigged for him.

Reluctant to kneel, or even bend over, infront of another of lower status than him, Croesus called for one of the guards keeping the door.

"You, with the flat feet," he snapped, "yes _you_. Come here and see if this Treasurer is telling lies." Immediately the guard rushed over and briefly saluted his king before peering into the oubliette.

"Well?" quipped Croesus, "Full Status Report, private."

"Reporting, sah!" began the guard, "Eleven individuals; shackled and bound; three of present consciousness; four sustaining injury, well four with blood on them your majesty; and apparently none human."

"Also last night, I imprisoned another four hundred and seventy two of them on accompanying vessels." reported Treasurer Roanus back to his usually calm face. "I believe these were the most important ones so I put them here, where escape is nigh impossible due to the round the clock guards and your majesty's presence. This oubliette is perfectly sound proof, and any conversation you have up here will not be overheard by the prisoners."

"I'm going to see this for my self," decided Croesus outloud, "I will not trust this until my very eyes have seen it. Down on your knees, all of you." No one could be standing while their king was kneeling according to Iphigenian law. Once sure noone else was upright, Croesus knelt and stared into the gloom. There they were; eleven beings from the western lands crammed into a space designed for eight. Roanus would have a little explaining to do, but for now there would be no beheading. Shame really.

* * *

Frodo was having a discussion with two very nice falcons he'd met resting in the branches of the tree above him. They were very excited that a "featherless two legger" could understand them. In bird legend there used to be a people, long before the fourth age, who were half bird. They could switch between bird body and human body and lived harmoniously with all beings of flight. Unfortunately there was a war and they disappeared leaving birds to be hunted by the remaining men. The falcons didn't seem clear on the issue and bickered amongst themselves as to some of the detail, but that was all right as Frodo could spare a few minutes. 

"I was wondering if you would do me a favour." he asked.

"Yes, yes" the falcons cawed, "we owed the half feathered two leggers plenty of things. What can we do?"

"It seems today there is a clothes market or similar on."

"Euch!" shuddered the falcons, "fancy wearing fake feathers."

"Well," continued Frodo, "I think I need to borrow some in order to fit in a bit better here. I don't think the elven clothes I'm wearing are very popular over here."

"I see no difference, personally," cawed one falcon.

"They're all the same to me," agreed the other.

"Do you see the carts coming in with piles of clothes on them?" persevered Frodo.

"Yes, yes" was the reply.

"I would like you to pick out as many as you can and drop them over there in that clump of trees." said Frodo pointing to a bit of forest a fair way from the road. "I can choose what I want to wear from there."

"Okay," agreed the falcons nodding.

"Thankyou very much," replied Frodo, "and good flying!"

As the falcons took off, Frodo began to stride out purposefully through the grass in the fields surrounding the city to the drop off point. The grass was so tall that it went over Frodo's head and concealed him from beady eyes. The negative was that he had to stumble through blindly and wait until he reached the trees. Upon arrival, he saw scattered about on the ground various items of clothing that certainly did not look very familiar to him. He wished he could deliberate over what he wanted to wear, but he had to hurry because the owners of the clothes were surely running towards him at that very moment anxious to get their goods back. In the end he decided on a long beige coat with a big enough pocket to put his listening rock in, some strange eye-coverings that were shaded black and a grey hat. As for the height issue, he found a flat rock which he split in two. He would stand on these and magically move one forward whenever he took a step. The long coat pretty much hid the fact he didn't have human size legs.

Now for the brilliant escape plan. He couldn't just walk out of there to run straight into the owner of these clothes could he? He split the ground and was literally swallowed up by the earth. Carving his way through the rocks underground Frodo made sure he was careful to pile dirt up behind him so no one could tell he had ever been there. He continued to use his listening rock to determine that he was within city walls, and then made sure the coast was clear to get above ground again. Frodo was disguised and ready to go.

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Hi people! Oubliette, by the way, is a small dungeon accessed by a trapdoor. It comes from the French "oublier" which means "to forget". This is my honest attempt to write longer chapters! I hope you like it, and recognise who Frodo looks like with his "disguise". Please R&R! Thanks, 

Empress Pip


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